File - North Grenville Historical Society

Quarterly
February, 2010
Beckett’s Landing & Ferry, 1835 Watercolour, Thomas Burrowes fonds
Archives of Ontario
The Journal of the
North Grenville Historical Society
Vol. 3. No. 1
NOTES & REPORTS
The North Grenville
Historical Society
Annual Report from the President
Well, it has been quite a year for the North
Grenville Historical Society, hasn’t it? We have, finally,
found a new home for the Archives (at least for the
next year) and we are in a position to put our energies
into expansion. Over the past few years, we have built
a strong foundation in the Society. We have been busy
preparing a list of what we have on our files and
working on a number of projects which we can look
forward to completing in our new quarters.
We have a newly-designed web site which
gives us a presence on the internet, one which is
capable of additional “rooms” to be added on to our
virtual archive/museum. Our other projects will, in time,
be added to the site so as to be available to the
general public and researchers anywhere in the world.
In the same way, this journal of the Society, The
Quarterly, gives us an opportunity to share with the
members and the wider public some of the material we
have in our possession, as well as the means to
publish the result of our research projects in the form
of articles, reviews and reports on meetings.
In the past year, work has proceeded on some
of the main projects we have undertaken. The indexing
of The Advance newspaper collection continues every
month. This is producing a number of important
sources of information. We are developing a nominal
database from the indexing project, which lists birth
and death information, lists of important events in the
history of North Grenville, and an important insight into
the life of the community over time. The names and
genealogical information gathered through this project
will provide a starting point for a database which, when
we add in the census material in our collections, as
well as the information contained in the tax
assessment rolls, will allow us to produce an important
resource for all future family history research in North
Grenville.
This links up really well with the Lot and
Concession Project, which seeks to draw up a history
of the ownership of each lot in North Grenville between
1791 and today. It was thought initially that this would
be a work that would take many years to complete, but
with continued research in the Land Registry Office in
Prescott, and the microfilm rolls acquired recently, we
have already covered about one third of the lots, as
well as much of Kemptville and almost all of Oxford
Mills. Eventually, this material will be added to our
database, and a separate file of information will be
President - Dr. David Shanahan
e-mail: [email protected]
Secretary - Beth Nicol
e-mail: [email protected]
Treasurer - Graham Pincot
e-mail: [email protected]
Director of Archives - Doug Hendry
e-mail: [email protected]
Wendy Goddard
e-mail: [email protected]
Connie Davies
e-mail: [email protected]
Visit our website at
www.historynorthgrenville.ca
Membership fee is $20.00 per household
per year and is renewable in January of
each year. Our meetings are held on the
second Wednesday of each month at the
Old
Town
Hall,
15
Water
Street,
Kemptville, beginning at 7.30 p.m. except
for the months of July, August and
December. The annual meeting for the
election of officers and the presentation of
the annual report is in January of each
year.
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available for each parcel of land in the Municipality.
With the recent additions to the Executive, we
will now have the personnel to carry on the publication
project which we have been considering for the past
year. Many of the previously published works of the
Society are either completely out of print, or in very
short supply. It has been our intention to republish
these, and the opportunity of doing so will also allow us
to redesign and update many of the books involved.
Over the past year, a list of titles to be reprinted has
been prepared and priority will be given to the titles
most in demand and in use.
In 2009 we began to film all of our guest
speakers’ talks, and provide copies on dvd. These
films will be kept as part of our holdings and made
available to the public, and, ultimately, on the web site.
One of the decisions the new executive will have to
make is whether to charge for these dvds as part of
our fund raising efforts over the coming year. However,
the recordings are a really useful addition to our
collection, including as they do the informal
discussions held during the year on the history of
Oxford Mills and the Railways in North Grenville, two
sessions that were part of a new approach to our oral
history project.
Regular activities have continued also, as we
have spent money on supplies and equipment for the
Society. This has included archival supplies for storing
our collection, and a projector for use in meetings,
allowing for power point presentations, films, etc.
Of course, it is the move to the Old Town Hall
in Kemptville that really marks the past year. It has
taken quite some time to negotiate an agreement with
the Municipality, requiring many meetings with staff
and Council, to bring this initiative to fruition. There
have been many alarms along the way, as we seemed
to lose our Acton’s Corners location before being
guaranteed the new home; but things have worked out
so far, and we should begin meetings in the Court
Room at 15 Water Street at our March meeting. Before
then, we have to round up as many volunteers as
possible to make the move, and transport all our files,
shelves, furniture and artifacts from Acton’s Corners to
Kemptville, where they will be gradually integrated into
the new building layout. Members will be hearing from
the executive about this!
It is planned that the Society will take
advantage of the new location to raise our profile in the
community, attract new members and launch new
projects. We will need to raise funds to grow in the new
place, and some of the ideas already put forward
include garage sales, movie nights at the Court House
and the sale of books, calenders, and other items. The
potential is great and limited only by our imaginations.
The building will allow us to play a larger role in the life
of the Municipality. Involvement in the Dandelion
festival, for example, will be greater simply owing to
our location. We can think about holding exhibitions of
our collections on weekends, etc. Our lease is for one
year, and may be extended, depending on Municipal
plans for the building in the long term. But we will take
advantage of that year to investigate funding sources
for archives and museums, and work hard at
maximising the opportunities this new home gives us.
Nice old gent points yout h to the f uture home of NG
hist ory. I t t ook t ime, but t hat ’s hist ory f or you!
The Society has once again presented
Heritage Awards Nights for North Grenville. In
February, 2009, and now in 2010, the event was held
at the branch restaurant in Kemptville, as we
recognized the contribution to our history and heritage
of a number of individuals, companies and, this year,
students at both secondary and university level.
Heritage conservation has become a high-profile issue
in North Grenville over the past year, something for
which the Society, in collaboration with Heritage North
Grenville, can take a great deal of the credit.
The importance of our built heritage, for
example, has been incorporated into the new
Municipal Official Plan, recently passed by Council.
The Society’s relationship with the Municipality, on an
official and personal level, has strengthened greatly
over the past year, as we worked together on the
Heritage Awards, the new home for the Society, and
in dealing with development issues concerning
heritage. A new series of Historic Walking Tours has
been prepared and this, too, has been an example of
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the Municipality working closely with historical interests
to underline the importance of history and heritage to
the people of North Grenville. On moving into our new
home, we will be arranging to take over all the
Township and Kemptville records currently held by the
Municipality, and storing them in our archive. This
integrated collections of historical material will make an
important archive for North Grenville history.
The acknowledgment of the role played by high
school and university students in the awarding of
Heritage Awards this year underlines the continuing
work of the Society in encouraging young people in
North Grenville to become aware of, and involved in,
their own history and heritage. Again last year, we
presented awards to outstanding History students at
both High Schools, and we intend to use our new
headquarters to encourage school trips and further
awareness of local history in our schools.
We continue to receive requests for information
from people all over the country, one or two each
month, on average. The work the executive has been
Goddard and Connie Davies, and the re-elected
members will work with them to increase membership
and extend the scope and activities of the North
Grenville Historical Society. The work already being
done by President and Archivist will probably expand
over the coming year, and it may become necessary
to find funding for a part-time position to keep our
operations moving smoothly, independent of who is on
the executive in years to come. As it stands, the
current executive are starting a new two-year term,
which should provide the continuity and stability the
Society will need as we transfer to our new location
and expand the role of the Society in our community.
We have reached a point where we have taken stock
of what we have to offer, and what direction we can
go, and the coming year promises to be a time of
exciting opportunity and growth. This, of course, will
require in the input and energy of all of the
membership. We have something special to share with
the wider community. I trust you will share in the fun.
Dr. David Shanahan, President, NGHS.
doing in all of the on-going projects have helped
enormously in answering these queries. We have
added two new members to the Executive, Wendy
The Fire Station is evacuated to make room for the
Historical Society. Whatever happened to that wonderful
stonework?
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or 9 years old. There always seemed to be a big crowd
around and this night was no exception. About eight of
us had just sat down in the kitchen to eat when there
was a knock at the door. It was a dark night, the
kitchen was lit with an oil lamp only and obviously
there was no light outside. I was told to answer the
door and when I did this fellow, standing in the dark,
asked for two slices of bread. My grandmother said:
'Tell him I have no bread, but I will give him some
warm tea biscuits'. I told him that and he said: 'You tell
her to keep her warm biscuits', and he turned and
walked away. We laughed about that many times over
the years until my grandmother died in 1972 when she
was 107 years old.
When the war started in 1939, many of these
men who had been around for years disappeared and
never returned. Most of them likely went into the
military.
NORTH GRENVILLE’S PAST:
TREKKERS AND HOBOS:
Riding the Rails in the 1930's
In the summer of 1935, many Canadians were
unhappy with the manner in which the Conservative
government of R.B. Bennett was handling the
economy. Several hundred started out in western
Canada and walked a good portion of their way to
Ottawa to protest. I was at my grandparents farm,
which was at the overhead bridge on highway 16, just
east of the tower. The walkers, called 'trekkers', were
on their way north from Prescott to Ottawa. It was
exciting for a nine year old to see all those people
walking through Bedell, but in retrospect it was sad.
Some who were tired or with sore feet were riding on
trucks. They stayed on Parliament Hill for two or three
days, got nothing, and started their homeward trek.
They arrived back at Bedell in a surly mood.
There were literally hundreds of hobos at Bedell
for various periods of time in the 1930s. In the summer
time they stayed in a hobo jungle in the bush just west
of the tower, north of the road that is adjacent to the
Winchester Subdivision. Several of us young lads used
to visit them in the bush. They would have a bonfire
going and maybe making tea or coffee or just telling
stories to pass the time. We often heard them say they
had heard of a job in Vancouver or some other far
away place and they were leaving in a day or so to go
there. They would leave and often be back in a few
days, still with no job. After a while
I often wondered if they really
wanted a job. Maybe it was just my
young mind at work.
Many nights in the 1930s,
‘40s and even into the early 1950s,
when the weather was cold, men
without work would sleep in the
bottom of the tower. Over the years
many of them came to our house
looking for something to eat and
Mother never turned one of them
away. I never heard of them
bothering or molesting anybody or
stealing anything at Bedell. It's a
different world today.
One of the more humorous
occasions occurred when a man
came to the door at my
grandmother's place one evening when I was about 8
Sam Gaw
The NGHS has a new website.
www.historynorthgrenville.ca
Bedell Railway Station
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any ideas that you might have for how we can use our
artifacts and resources to extend the reach of the
Society.
Doug Hendry, Archivist, NGHS
Archivist’s Report
2009 has been a strange year for the Archives.
It has been difficult to work in the Archives building for
anything other than a short length of time and I have
been reluctant to encourage acquisition of items until
our storage problems are solved.
In the meantime, I have been working on
various digital projects that should help us once we are
able to more widely welcome the public back to make
use of our resources.
In 2009, we continued our work indexing the
vital statistics of the Kemptville Advance. I would like to
thank everyone involved for their commitment to this
project. At the time of writing, we have three years'
worth of data entered digitally, another five years'
worth completed manually and awaiting transfer to
digital and another five years' worth underway. We are
in need of a couple more volunteers who are willing
to enter the manual records into a spreadsheet. If you
have the time to do this, please let me know. If you
would like to help out at the "sharp end" (in terms of
pencil and paper!), we meet the third Saturday of the
month (next two meetings are Feb 20th and March
20th).
I have been working on a central index of
persons, using census and assessment information as
well as other sources. Eventually this will comprise a
primary finding aid to holdings as well as general
genealogical information and can be a good starting
point for enquirers. I have completed the entry of South
Gower from Census 1851-1911 and am currently
working on Oxford on Rideau for the same time period.
At some point, I would like to open this up to members
on-line so that they can edit information, and enter
such information as they have, such as weddings,
maiden names, dates of death and so on. We will
eventually be merging the land registry records in with
this database also.
Still to be tackled is our oral history
component. This could now be recorded with our
camera. If people would like to be involved in this,
please do not hesitate to contact me.
In addition, I believe that we should look to
organising some school reunions, especially for
Acton's Corners as the building is likely to pass out of
public hands in the near future. It would be nice to
have a final reunion in the building/grounds and to be
on hand to record memories of times there. This could
be extended to other existing school buildings where
possible, or nearby public buildings if not.
I look forward to 2010 being a busy year for the
Historical Society and please feel free to let me know
Treasurer’s Report
As reported at the NGHS AGM on January 19, 2010.
The North Grenville Historical Society had to
dip into its reserves in 2009 to make up for shortfalls
in income, which left the Society with a deficit of
Income over Expenses. The primary reason for the
65% reduction of Income in 2009 over 2008 was the
receipt in 2008 of a one-time bequest of $2,500 and a
25% drop in Membership.
Expenses were reduced by 15% to adjust to
the reduction in cash flow, with certain events, such as
the Kemptville 150th Anniversary and the Heritage
Awards, either not being repeated or the costs being
handled by other associations. On the other hand, the
Historical Society did invest in its own Website to
expand future education and access to archival
material for the public. There was also an increase in
both equipment and hall rental for the monthly
presentations.
The assets of the Society, its chequing account
and a GIC, were sufficient to carry NGHS through
2009. The GIC was deemed to be a restricted fund by
past executive boards. It has been determined by the
current board that it can be considered surplus to aid
with current and future major projects that the Society
is and will be undertaking. At the same time, a grant
from the Government of Ontario has been received to
aid with daily expenses. North Grenville Historical
Society will, in 2009, be increasing its membership
drive and looking for other opportunities to raise funds
to support the expansion of the archives and
development of its new location.
Graham Pincott, Treasurer, NGHS
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The Kemptville Centurion
Annotated excerpts from the Kemptville Newspapers from February, 1910 for the edification and
amusement of our loyal readers.
Farewell Party at East Oxford
On Monday evening, Jan. 31st, a party of guests
numbering about 80, gathered at the home of Mr. W.
J. Cochrane, of East Oxford, to bid he and his family
farewell. Mr. And Mrs. Cochrane and daughter, Miss
Mildred, are moving to Kemptville where they will
reside in future, and the best wishes of a host of
friends follow them. Mr. Cochrane is among the
oldest residents of East Oxford, having resided on
his farm for 65 years.
Kemptville
The Pancake Supper held in Leslie Hall, under the
auspices of the Young People’s Guild of St. James’
Anglican church, on Tuesday evening, 8th inst., was
fairly well attended. The Pancakes must have been
relished by all, as there was a large quantity
disposed of.
Box Social, Bishop’s Mills
Our staff reporter at Bishop’s Mills sends us the
following: Notwithstanding the inclement weather,
quite a number attended the Box Social held in the
Temperance Hall Friday evening, under the auspices
of the I. O. F. Court Pleasant House, No. 904.
Mr. Robert Jones was again called on to
perform the duties of auctioneer and fully sustained
his reputation for getting the highest prices for
beautiful well-filled boxes. The most expensive box
sold for $1.50.
Rev. N. McLaren’s Stories of Camp Life and
Mr. R. Jones’ impromptu explanation “How It
Happened the deer was shot”, brought forth rounds
of applause. Mr. J. Sherrard’s recitation entitled
Death of Barnaby Rudge received an enthusiastic
encore and was responded to by another recitation
entitled “Woman’s Rights”.
An amusing tableaux was put on, entitled
“Why the butter did not come”.
Brief, witty and complimentary speeches
were delivered by N. Greer, A. Ennis and R. McCoy.
The Sherrard-Atkinson Orchestra furnished
excellent music at intervals throughout the evening.
Court Pleasant has upwards of fifty members
and is one of the most flourishing rural Lodges in the
District.
- The cantata, “The Fairy Chain”, has been
postponed to 25th inst., owing to prevalence of
measles.
Mr. Irvine Gibson had such a vivid dream of fire the
other night that he jumped through his bedroom
window into the snow.
- Remember the postponed cantata, “The Fairy
Chain”, in I. O. O. F. Hall, Friday evening, 25th inst.
- Kemptville people should on no account miss
seeing that beautiful cantata, “The Fairy Chain”, as
presented in the I. O. O. F. Hall on Friday evening,
25th inst. This promises to be the treat of the season.
Quite a lot of publicity: all from one issue of the
paper!
The local central telephone office is closing evenings
at nine o’clock instead of ten. The change was
effected since the Bell Telephone Company’s
purchase of the North American’s plant and business
here. The local manager had the usual instructions
to close at eight o’clock (according to Bell rule) but
took it upon himself to extend the time to nine,
“splitting the difference” with the public who will no
doubt appreciate the concession.
Notice
The Undersigned having disposed of their Planing
Mill and Lumber Business in Kemptville, desire to
thank their numerous customers for the kind
consideration and liberal patronage extended to
them since coming to Kemptville; and they also
desire to introduce their successors, The Palmer
The Literary Follies are clearly following a fine North
Grenville tradition! We seem always to have had a
deep reservoir of talent in our community.
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Lumber Co., who are practical Lumbermen of long
experience and who they are assured the public
generally will find to be courteous and
accommodating, and will be able to supply
everything required in the building line. Wishing All
a Prosperous and Happy Year.
We remain yours respectfully,
R. D. McMaster
R. E. Millar of the McMaster Lumber Co.
definitely known but the facts are that Mr. Bailey
made the morning fire, as usual, and went to the
barn to do chores. When Mrs. Bailey arose she
smelled smoke and the wall proved to be on fire
inside. Flames spread so rapidly that Mr. And Mrs.
Bailey were powerless to check their advance and
their little home was burned to the ground. There is
$400 insurance, we understand.
Oxford Mills
The senior hockey team defeated Osgoode Station
by five goals to two. They play the Juniors here next
Saturday and the return match at Osgoode Friday.
The Weekly Advance is Powerless
This issue of the Weekly Advance will reach our
subscribers 24 hours late. We are able to “blame it
all on the Government”. The Department of Railways
and Canals is repairing the Burritt’s Rapids locks,
and have let the water out of the canal, leaving us
without electric power. This necessitates the printing
of our newspaper at Smith’s Falls; but the
regulations of the Post Office Department will not
permit us to distribute our newspapers from that
point. Consequently, when printed they had to be
shipped back to Kemptville again, to be folded and
mailed by hand. We are sorry to be so late with this
week’s edition, but somewhat grateful under the
circumstances to get to press at all, for which we
may thank our contemporary the Rideau Record.
Entered Into Rest
Mr. Asa Bishop, Bishop’s Mills
Our staff reporter at Bishop’s Mills writes: The
funeral of the late Asa Bishop occurred on Monday
last, and was largely attended. Deceased was 78
years of age, [born 1832] and was a life-long
resident of this village. He leaves to mourn his loss,
a wife, two sons, Orla of Oxford Mills; Harold of
Oxford township, and a daughter, Mrs. Hunter, of
this village. Rev. Mr. Weese conducted the funeral
service, in the Methodist Church, after which the
remains were interred in the Alexander cemetery.
Annual Meeting of the 56th
The 56th Regiment, Lisgar Rifles, held their annual
meeting at Kemptville Saturday afternoon, to make
arrangements for the local camp next summer.
Among those present were Colonel Beckett; Majors
Rankin and Bedell; Captains Kidd, Hunter, Elliott,
Kerfoot and Newman; Lieutenants Inglis, Baker and
Kingston. “The father of the regiment”, Capt. Kidd of
Burritt’s Rapids, gave an inspiring address on
regimental efficiency and Major Rankin offered an
exceedingly practical talk.
The 56th will go into camp at Kingston this
year. It will be a large Divisional Camp made up of
the three units of infantry, cavalry and artillery, with
engineers and service corps; from the two Districts,
Nos 3 and 4. The Divisional Camp will be inspected
by Gen. French, who is coming to Canada for that
purpose.
Oxford Mills Victorious
Oxford Mills defeated Burritt’s Rapids last Saturday
to the tune of 9 - 2. A good corwd was present to
cheer for “the boys” and although the ice was heavy
and a light snow storm was on, a scientific exhibition
of hockey was put up. The score stood at half-time
3 - 0 in favour of Oxford Mills...The Burritt’s Rapids
boys were royally entertained to supper at the Maple
Leaf Hotel after the game.
The return match will be played on Saturday.
How Oxford’s Taxes Are Expended
Council expenditures for the year 1909:
Roads & Bridges
$949.03
Salaries & Allowances
$736.45
Loans & Interest
$3,579.50
Sheep & lambs killed by dogs
$174.29
.......
Total expenditures
$18,063.50
Balance on hand
$327.48
Bad Fire in Oxford
Yesterday morning the home of Mr. George Bailey,
between Oxford Mills and Oxford Station, was
burned to the ground. The origin of the fire is not
But remember, a man’s fur coat in Kemptville cost
just $13, on sale from the usual $18. Good old days.
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residents of this place. In the following year the
Clothier Brothers, with much energy, set to work to
build a mill-dam, and in 1816 erected, where the
stables of the Central Hotel now stand [on the southwest corner of Clothier and Prescott], the first sawmill, which materially assisted the building operations
as boards took the place of scoops and split basswood. Mr. Asa Clothier, the same year erected a
blacksmith shop on the site now occupied by the
post office [the empty lot beside the branch
restaurant], and as necessity required, acted the
NORTH GRENVILLE’S PAST:
History of Kemptville
by a Pupil of the Kemptville High School
The following piece is taken from the records of the
Kemptville Women’s Institute Tweedsmuir Papers,
located at the Ontario Archives in Toronto. It is clear
from the context that the article was written in 1880,
and explanatory notes have been added to the text
in italics.
....As there have been no records kept of its early
settlement, we must depend upon fragments of
information gathered here and there, and are
especially indebted to some of our worthy residents,
who, being now well advanced in years, remember
many interesting incidents connected with the
younger days of our thriving little village. From a
friend, we learn that in the spring of 1813 John
Boyce, late of South Gower, came to what was
afterwards known as “the branch”, then an unbroken
forest, felled the first tree, built a small hut, and
cleared about one acre; and in 1814 sold his claim of
100 acres to Lyman Clothier Snr., receiving as
payment a yoke of steers and a fusee.
It was John Byce, not Boyce, who first settled
on the land. This article may be the origin of the
story of the “yoke of steers and a fusee” which has
persisted since. Sometimes, the purchase price is
given as a yoke of oxen and a fusil, but all of these
are incorrect, albeit colourful. In fact, Clothier paid
£75 for the 100 acres, a sizeable amount of money
at the time.
Mr. Clothier, with his young wife, immediately
took possession of the cabin, which was about 12
feet square and covered with basswood scoops - the
one room serving as kitchen, dining-room, parlour
and bed-room. In this cozy dwelling was born the
first white child, Mary, who afterwards became Mrs.
Banks, mother of William and Chester, who are now
Beckett’s Hotel, later the McGregor & Sanders Store, and
Scobie’s. Corner of Clothier and Sanders Streets.
part of carpenter and joiner, shoemaker, harnessmaker, cooper, blacksmith and shingle weaver. And
at this date Thomas McCargar, Sr., also became a
settler, and was soon followed by Messrs Hurd and
Bottum, all of whom spent the remainder of their
days in this vicinity, and still have descendants in our
midst. On 30th June, 1817, the first male child
(Indians excepted) was born, viz., A. Clothier, Esq.,
who is still among us, and whose enterprise has
advanced the interests of Kemptville to a great
extent. The settlement gradually extended and the
population increased by the addition of new arrivals
until in 1819 the first hotel was opened by Asa
Clothier Sn. At that time hunting and fishing were the
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favourite pastime, game being abundant, and fish so
the track, was overtaken by a train and her body
large and numerous that a horse attempting to cross
severed....
at the Little Rapids was caused to stumble by their
A town hall was also built in autumn of [1874]
efforts to ascend the stream; and one caught, we are
which added much to the appearance as well as
told, when dressed and ready for cooking weighed
convenience of the village.
44lbs. The inhabitants now became so numerous
....Among the recent improvements, last but
and feeling the want of a mill to grind their grain, that
not least, is our memorial Church [St. James’
in 1821 a pair of rock stones were placed in the
Anglican Church], erected in 1879, in memory of the
lower part of the saw mill, which circumstance was
late Archdeacon Patton, which is now being finished
hailed with great delight by the little community...
and, when completed, will be an ornament to the
Another hotel was opened in 1832 by
town, and compare favourably with many of the city
Thomas Beckett; [empty lot at the corner of Clothier
churches; and in November 1880 was issued the
and Sanders] and all things seemed to have pursued
first number of “The Advance” by S. E. Walt,
their steady course; and in 1834 the first grist mill,
publisher and proprietor. [This version of the
now known as Harding’s was built by Wm. Kennedy.
Advance only lasted less than a year. Walt restarted
Mechanics became more plentiful, the different
the paper in 1889. Although the current owners of
trades being fairly represented, hotels and stores
the newspaper have been informed of this, they
increased in number, the village extended its
insist on printing that their paper was founded in
borders, and in 1838 a carding machine, by A.
1855] As a safeguard against fires, we are in
Holmes, and a saw mill by O. Barnes, were started,
possession of a “first class steam fire engine”.
at what is now known as “Parkinson’s dam” [around
Population at present is about 1200.
the bridge on Hurd Street], and these much
Cyrus McCargar
increased the comfort and convenience of the
inhabitants...The population [in 1854] numbered a
[There is some confusion about McCargar. Although
he is stated to be a High School student in 1880, he
was, in fact, 20 years old that year. Whatever his
reason for writing this piece, which is only excerpted
here, we are grateful to him to have this early
account of Kemptville’s history to that point.]
little over seven hundred....Previous to this time
goods were brought in summer by boats and in
winter by sleighs, and produce shipped in like
manner, but now was ushered in a new order of
things, the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Railroad being
opened, in 1854, which proved a lasting benefit to
the commercial interests of the community; and two
years later Kemptville became an incorporated
village.
A
newspaper
viz
“The
Kemptville
Progressionist”, which was first published in 1853, by
Mr. Kelly Sr., continued to be issued until 1861 when
it became “The Observer” under the management of
Mr. Kelly Jr., and finally disappeared in 1864. The
first serious accident that happened on our Railroad,
in this vicinity, occurred at the old toll-gate in 1861,
Mrs. Allen, while endeavouring to drive a cow from
9
agricultural and hardware items. Over the years it
has served many functions and suffered from a
Heritage Awards Night, 2010
major fire in the 1940's. Since it was bought by
Kollaard Associates, it has been restored to a place
The North Grenville Historical Society, in
where it is closest in appearance to the original
conjunction with Heritage North Grenville, are
building than it has been in decades. But it in the
presenting their Heritage Awards for 2010 on
imaginative use of the space for commerce and
Heritage Day, February 15, at the branch restaurant
residential use that has really given new life to this
beginning at 7 p.m. This year, five awards will be
old building.
given out, an indication of how busy it has been on
Another award is going to students of the
the heritage front in North Grenville over the past
North Grenville District High School and their
year.
teachers, Barb Tobin and Don Muntz, for the
Two of the awards are being given in
heritage murals they have created together and
recognition of high quality renovation work done on
which grace the streets of Kemptville. It is really
heritage properties in Kemptville. Near neighbours,
important that our young people are introduced to
the DePencier House at 220 Prescott Street and
their history, and the murals are a wonderful way of
the old Co-operative Building were bought by local
giving that history the profile it deserves and needs.
companies over the past year. The DePencier
Another
House, which dates from around 1900, is a building
of
students
being
recognized comes from Carleton University.
of great character, a landmark on Prescott Street
Together with the Ontario Ministry of Culture, the
next door to the High School. It was bought by Gilles
students from the Schools of Architecture and
Brisebois and the LA Group and has been restored
Canadian Studies prepared a Report on Adaptive
with great expertise and taste, preserving this
wonderful piece of architecture.
group
Re-use of Heritage Buildings in North Grenville,
The Co-op
which was presented to the community last
Building has a longer history than most in North
November. This Report provided the Municipality
Grenville. Originally part of the Blackburn Store
with a variety of possible uses for a number of
which over the years became the Red and White,
heritage buildings declared surplus to requirements
the building was built around 1873 and was used at
by North Grenville.
first as a store for large
The fifth award is going to Robert Edwards
and
Natasha
Gagne
in
recognition
of
the
tremendous work done on restoring the stone house
on the old Caldwell farm (1848 Beach Road)
following a fire last year that almost completely
destroyed the building.
This year, the awards are being sponsored
by the North Grenville Community Newsletter, in
collaboration with Heritage North Grenville. This
The Co-op building as portrayed in 1878, when it was part
of the original Blackburn Store, later Anderson’s Store and
has become a major event in the cultural life of North
the Red & White.
Grenville and a significant night in the NGHS year.
The night is open to the public and is free of charge.
10
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
American, Canadian, British and aboriginal – who
March 10, 2010:
experienced the War of 1812.
David Shanahan will be talking about aspects of the
history of Kemptville, concentrating mostly on the
September, 2009:
economic life of the settlement as he developed
Doug Hendry spoke on “The Uncontrollable Plague:
through the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
North Grenville and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918-
This will be our first meeting at our new location: 15
19". Based on extensive original research, Doug
Water Street, Kemptville.
described the effect of the pandemic on this locality,
underlining the severity and the distribution of cases
of the virus in North Grenville during a time of fear
April 14, 2010:
and uncertainty.
Olivia Mills, a member of Heritage North Grenville
and author of a recent book on Burritt’s Rapids, will
be talking about the development of that hamlet. As
October’s meeting was a business discussion,
part of the Rideau heritage corridor, and the oldest
mostly concerning our need for a new headquarters.
community on the Rideau Canal, Burritt’s Rapids
November, 2009:
“North Grenville Then and Now” was the topic of a
photographic exhibition by David Shanahan at the
November meeting. Using the Society’s growing
collection of photographs, David put together a
series of “then and now” pictures of various buildings
in the Municipality, some of which had changed very
little, others of which were almost completely
unrecognisable. This collection will be available on
the Society web site in the coming months.
continues to be play a central role in the history and
heritage of North Grenville.
May 12, 2010:
The Women’s Institutes around Ontario have
gathered and safeguarded the historical records of
many Townships and villages for more than a
century. Jeanne Lambert, from Bishop’s Mills, will
speak on the WI and the part they have played here
in North Grenville.
January, 2010:
This was the Society’s Annual General Meeting. The
business section was followed by a talk by Doug
Hendry on the history of the 93rd Sutherland
Highlander Regiment. This illustrated talk covered
the first decades of the Regiment’s colourful career,
the original “thin red line” of the British Army, which
served in Canada, Jamaica, India, Ireland and other
parts of the British Empire in the nineteenth century.
Further details on these talks, and other NGHS
matters, will be published in the North Grenville
Newsletter each month.
SPEAKERS CORNER:
Recent talks at NGHS
MEMBERSHIP IN
June, 2009:
“Women in the War of 1812". A native of Kent,
THE NORTH GRENVILLE HISTORICAL
England, Dianne Graves’ most recent book, In the
SOCIETY
Midst of Alarms: the Untold Story of Women in the
costs just $20 per household per year.
War of 1812, is a groundbreaking study of women –
Contact Graham at [email protected]
11
to Pine Hill Road on the east. By 1859, Truman’s
son, Edwin, had survey plans for a major housing
development to stretch from Clothier Street to
Highway 43. The entire area was divided into streets,
long before Cranberry Hill existed. Edwin had
advertised in the Ottawa Citizen a sale of 175 Town
Lots and 42 Park Lots, to include his own house and
gardens on the corner of Clothier and Hurd. The
area was to be called North Kemptville. Although the
development was never completed, Edwin’s house
is still there, now 561 Clothier West.
But the real centre of the area in 1859 were
the mills located on the South Branch River. Where
the bridge is today on Hurd Street, there was once a
stone dam, with the river waters backed up behind it
in a large mill pond. On the north bank below the
dam stood a Carding Mill, and opposite it on the
south shore was a Tannery and Cloth Dressing
facility operated by Reuben Gorham. Reuben had
just bought the factory from Frederick Moore, whose
stone house is still standing west of the crossroads
at 2495 County Road 18. The large stone house
across the road, now extended and improved, was
the home of Henry Hurd, another of Truman’s sons.
The fulling and bark mills produced cloth to be used
in making clothes, blankets, or whatever was needed
in the community. This settlement was officially
known as South Kemptville, but, locally, it was
named after its most important entrepreneur.
The major force in the economic life of the
area was John Perkins, who had bought 80 acres of
land south of Clothier Street in 1850. Truman Hurd
had taken out a mortgage on these 80 acres in
1837, possibly to build a saw mill and a grist mill. In
1840, he had transferred title to the land to the
consortium holding this mortgage, and when Perkins
bought from them, the two mills were already in
place and operating. A mill race had been dug
between the dam and a natural inlet in the river, and
this powered the mills: the saw mill on the north side
and the grist mill on the south. These mills and
factories required workers and the workers required
services.
PERKINS MILLS
The Forgotten Hamlet
Mill sites are central to the history of North
Grenville. Settlements grew up where saw mills and
grist mills provided planks and flour for settlers, and
mills were established where there was water power
available to operate the mills. Think of the hamlets in
North Grenville today: Oxford Mills and Bishops Mills
are obvious examples, but Burritts Rapids and
Kemptville (originally known as Clothier’s Mills) also
testify to the importance of mills in the growth of this
community. The real founders of North Grenville
were the individuals who set out to find the perfect
mill site and invested time and energy in erecting,
first of all, saw mills, and later grist mills to serve the
incoming settlers looking to build homes and
furniture, and grind their grain for bread. But these
mills had a relatively short life span in terms of
economic growth. As consumer goods became more
available, the mills’ importance faded. Those
communities which could adapt their economic focus
survived to various degrees.
Today, the area around the junction of
Clothier, Hurd and Somerville on the outskirts of
Kemptville is a place people only drive through.
They stop only briefly as traffic dictates. But a
hundred and fifty years ago, this quiet crossroads
was known as Perkin’s Mills, an active and noisy
residential and commercial hub that seemed on the
verge of great expansion. Out of this crossroads
came flour, timber, woven cloth, furniture and leather
goods that provided the people of North Grenville for
decades.
Lot 25, Concession 3, Oxford on Rideau
Township, had been granted to Captain James
Brackenridge in 1795. He sold it to Truman Hurd in
1815, and the Hurd family was the main presence in
the area for more than a century after. Hurd’s
property extended from Highway 43 south to
Concession Road, and from Hurd Road on the west
12
Around Perkins Mills, coopers, joiners,
shoemakers, weavers, cabinetmakers, blacksmiths,
wagon makers and merchants bought and rented
land and built homes. The impressive stone houses
still standing around the crossroads indicate the
wealth of the community at the time. John Perkins
established a tavern on Hurd, just south of the
bridge. The Kemptville Brick Yard operated on a
large tract of land on the south bank of the river just
the bridge in good repair for ten years: an early form
of development charge. The enterprise did not go
well under Morrison, and was sold under power of
sale in 1874. The mills were taken over by Nathaniel
and George Kennedy in 1877, and they kept them
going until 1914. But by then, the community of
Perkins Mills, latterly known as Kennedy’s Mills, was
dying.
As the mills ran down, so the jobs went and people
east of the mills. John Conn opened a school on
Clothier Street, in the building which still stands
immediately to the west of Holy Cross School today.
Some of the wealthy merchants with businesses in
Kemptville moved out to Perkins Mills to live,
including the owners of Averill & Hooker, and
Thomas Blackburn.
In retrospect, 1859 was the high point for
Perkins Mills. By 1869, John Perkins had died, and
his widow rented out the mills to William Morrison,
who had to pay a charge to the Corporation of
Oxford Township to ensure he maintained his part of
Perkins Mills in 1914. Looking south on Hurd from Clothier.
The remains of an old mill is all that is left of the once-busy
centre of commercial activity, which was also known as West
Kemptville.
started moving away, many back to Kemptville, as
that town continued to expand. So, the next time you
pass through, take a look around and try to imagine
the place when the dam held back the waters of the
South Branch River and mills and tanneries gave
employment, energy and focus to a bustling and
hopeful community.
Dr. David Shanahan
13
on the Canal. His son records that, when rumours of
the Canal project reached Thomas, he immediately
had his brothers and father move from Ireland to
take up land beside his along the Canal route. It was
to prove an inspired move. Beckett himself worked
on the Canal, and established a ferry crossing on the
Rideau. About 1833, Beckett and his brothers joined
with the people of Kemptville, still “The Branch” at
that time, to cut a road from the village to the Canal.
He carried on in the brewing business until he
retired in the mid-1860's. The house he had built
remained a private residence for the Powell family
from 1900 until 1948, when it passed to Eva Adams
and Elsie Byers. These two ladies restored the
building to its original plan, maintaining the porch
that runs the full length of the front, and decorating
the interior to match the high ceilings and wellproportioned rooms. Miss Byers sold the property in
1971 and in 1988 it became the Featherstonehaugh
Manor for seniors. It continues to provide this service
to the present. The illustration is from 1878.
In 1957, the house was described as follows
in the special publication to mark Kemptville’s
centenary:
The records show that this property was part of the
parcel of land bought by Squire Bottum from the
Crown in 1816, and although the actual year of its
construction is not a certainty, we do know that it
was in the 1830's.
It is a lovely old house, built on long, low
lines, which are emphasized by the verandah which
stretches the full width of the front. The interior has
been altered at different times as the various
occupants fitted it to their own particular needs, but
since the present owners, the Misses Eva Adams
and Elsie Byers, purchased it in 1949, it has been
restored to its original plan.
As one visits this house with its high ceilinged
rooms of good proportions, with their deeply
recessed windows, and furnished with many
beautiful antiques, which glow in the reflected light
from the old fireplace, it is easy indeed, to picture it
as it must have looked a century ago.
Kemptville Centennial, p. 24.
North Grenville Then and Now
This item draws on the extensive photographic
collection of the Society and provides a peek into
changes and continuities in our built heritage in
North Grenville.
1.
22 Clothier Street West:
The illustration (top) comes from the poster of
Kemptville buildings prepared in 1878, and it is
clearly the same building photographed (below) in
2009. Thomas Beckett had a store on this property
in the 1830's, and around 1837 he opened
Kemptville’s only brewery on the river bank behind
the house. Beckett was an important businessman
in the early days of North Grenville. Thomas A.
Beckett arrived from Ireland in 1823, receiving a land
grant on the Rideau in the years before work began
14
The students spent time visiting the six buildings: the
Kemptville Carnegie Library, the old Kemptville Town
Hall, the NG District High School, the Fire Hall in
Kemptville, the Oxford Mills Town Hall, and our own
old arch ives
building at Actons
Corners. Their
work culminated in
presentations
given at a special
reception
in
C a r l e t o n
University last
No ve mber, o n
adaptive re-use proposals for each of the buildings.
The proposed uses for the various locations ranged
from the ingenious to the downright strange, with
everything from a pub for the Kemptville Town Hall
to an ice-cream factory for the one in Oxford Mills.
As a
result of their
efforts, North
Grenville has
a range of
possible
options for
t h e s e
important
heritage buildings, and the entire initiative by the
Ministry of Culture has received solid
encouragement to carry on the work in other
municipalities across the province. The timing of the
project was critical: the Municipality were in the
middle of deciding the future of these buildings, and
most of them had already been declared surplus to
requirements
before the results
of the studies
were released.
Th e Carleton
students have
been given a
Heritage Award this year for their work on this
project.
Adaptive Re-use Study in
North Grenville
One of
the
more
important
events to take
place in North
Grenville over
the past quarter
in volved th e
C a r l e t o n
University
School
of
C a n a d ia n
Studies Heritage Conservation Programme and
David Azrieli School of Architecture. On October 3rd,
2009, thirty graduate students from the Carleton
University
Institute for
Canadian
S t u d i e s
assembled in
Kemptville to
undertake field
studies of six
Municipa lly
owned heritage buildings.
The studies were part of a pilot project initiated by
the Ontario Ministry of Culture designed to bring
together academics and professionals to come up
with imaginative ways to use heritage buildings no
longer needed
for their original
purpose. North
Grenville was
chosen for the
pilot for many
reasons, not
least because
we have a
number of such
buildings in our community.
15